Powerful pedagogies for the school geography curriculum

Abstract Michael Young’s concept of “powerful knowledge” has received widespread attention from many in geographical education. I use the claims Young has made about powerful knowledge as a starting point for considering how pedagogic practices could contribute to making geographical education powerful. I present three sets of pedagogic practices: connecting everyday knowledge with school knowledge; practising geography and debating and discussing geography. Each set of each practices is illustrated with examples of activities all of which involve the active engagement of students and the interactive support of teachers. I outline ways in which the three pedagogic practices are powerful and suggest the kinds of classroom culture that supports them.